THE WEEK THAT WAS

Khushboo Mein Basay Khat | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

After decades of enjoying fame and fortune on the basis of his talent for poetry and command of the Urdu language, Ahmed Zaryab (Adnan Siddiqui) finally suffers a reversal of fortune. He is arrested for the murder of Penny (Sidra Niazi), another poetess he had befriended and grown tired of. He is not guilty, but the generations of women he hurt now want to see him punished.

While it’s popular to see women only as victims, author Amna Mufti gives us more nuanced sketches of women’s personalities — middle-aged women who have not matured or healed, nursing the wounds of thwarted love, and ambitious young girls just as ruthless as Zaryab. Curiously, the one woman who should be happy is Adeela (Nadia Jamil), the one who managed to actually marry Zaryab, who has a career as a surgeon, but she is just as unhappy, a victim of his narcissistic abuse.

The plot thickens and, amid the accusations, the author poses a question: how should we balance freedom and protection for women, especially those of young girls? This is an excellent drama with a lot of depth that would have garnered a wider audience with some editing.

Jaan Nisar | Geo TV, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

Feudal landowner Nosherwan (Danish Taimoor) is a protective, obedient son who has allowed himself to be coerced into marriage with his dead brother’s wife, for the sake of his niece and nephew. Unknown to the middle-class Dua (Hiba Bukhari), Nosherwan has fallen in love with her from a distance, and is searching for her.

Meanwhile, the villainous Faraz (Haroon Shahid), who sold Dua to a brothel, has married her sister. After being disowned by her father for being found by the police in a brothel, Dua wanders the streets till she finds a home with a mysterious woman, a more sophisticated courtesan.

Defying expectations of a completely regressive story, the hero of Jaan Nisar, Nosherwan, has not kidnapped anyone yet, nor has he fulfilled the cliché of pointing a gun at his own head. This show is geared to the masses and the story has a small twist each episode which keeps the audience hooked for the next turn. Taimoor and Bukhari are well-practised at these intense roles and deliver the excitement and melodrama like professionals.

Let’s Try Mohabbat | Green TV, Saturdays 8.00pm

Shehzad Nawaz plays Sikandar, who dominates his grown sons and wife as an abusive tyrant who has stunted everyone’s lives. His younger son Zohan (Danyal Zafar) and daughter-in-law Fizza (Mawra Hocane) have managed to trick him into thinking they just met and he arranged their match.

Sikandar is more benevolent towards his new daughter-in-law than his own family, thinking of her as the kind of “respectable” girl who does not have relationships before marriage, which he disapproves of. His angry, bitter son Azlan (Gohar Rasheed), who has been treated like a criminal for loving a girl before marriage, decides to expose Zohan and Fizza’s secret to belittle his father.

Like other dramas with Shehzad Nawaz, his imposing personality seems to take over the screen to the detriment of the show. A stronger director, who understood that less can be more effective, would have edited this script, allowing more screen time to the younger cast, and avoiding the long sessions of browbeating and monologues. The highlights are Mawra Hocane and Danyal Zafar’s romantic interactions, and Tazeen Hussain’s excellent performance.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Ishq Hua | Geo TV, Coming soon

Haroon Kadwani joins Komal Mir in a very filmi-style action-adventure for the small screen, which again seems inspired by Feroze Khan’s style of acting.

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 16th, 2024